


Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

by masi



Series: Short Stories for BPS [8]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 18:42:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1236982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masi/pseuds/masi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monopoly is serious business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

**Author's Note:**

> Written for BPS Challenge No. 59 OTP Battle.

That winter, Akashi receives a Monopoly board game from a visiting aunt. Shintarou is pleased to see this new addition to their game collection. He is getting tired of losing at shogi and of watching Akashi walk away from games of Go Fish and Speed just as Shintarou is about to win. 

After dinner on a Friday night, Shintarou brings out the board game. 

“No,” Akashi says. 

He tugs his green fleece blanket closer, crosses his arms, and continues, “I had a long-”

“Just one game,” Shintarou says, laying the board on the kotatsu. 

He had considered waiting until the summer, but that is several months off and this winter has been dragging, cold and monotonous. The living room feels like the inside of a refrigerator because of the wall of windows, and he doesn’t want to move too far from the warmth of the heater near his legs, doesn’t want to change out of his clothes and climb into the cold bed. 

He says, “Tomorrow is Saturday, so you can sleep in. I’ll let you roll the dice first.”

Akashi glances at the miniature racecar. Once. Twice. He looks away, says, “I know I can sleep in, but you won’t. You should take better care of yourself, Shintarou. Those bags under your eyes are unsightly. And you don’t want to sleep right through your exam on Monday, do you?”

“I don’t have an exam on Monday,” Shintarou replies. “So I can sleep in with you tomorrow and Sunday morning, Seijuurou.” 

Good, he managed to deliver that last line in a suggestive tone. He adjusts his glasses, trying not to blush. Three months of living together and years of dating, and he still gets flustered. But his clumsy attempts at flirtation seem to please Akashi, result in beautiful smiles that are all for Shintarou, so they are worth the effort and embarrassment. 

Akashi says at length, with a put-upon sigh, “Fine. But you should know that Monopoly is notorious for causing leg cramps and mental anguish and often result in long estrangements between friends. And even family members. My aunt and uncle continue to shun each other because of this game, last played when they were both children.”

“We’ll be fine,” Shintarou says, and sets up the board.

He has read the rules included in the box twice already and also consulted reliable online sources for tips and strategies. According to his sources, the game is more enjoyable with at least three players and a proper banker. They will just have to make do. The important thing is to establish the rules in the beginning and not get emotional when auctioning property and making trades. The game itself is fairly straightforward. Make smart purchases, and play until the opposition is out of assets and has to declare bankruptcy.

Akashi does look a little fatigued, is slouching a bit, so Shintarou says, “We can play until midnight, and then we will decide the winner, alright? Whoever has more money, cash on hand and property value combined that is, at that time wins.” He counts out 1500 in Monopoly cash and places it in front of Akashi.

“I want the racecar token,” Akashi replies. “And remember, you said that I can roll first. Not that I need a handicap. Try not to cry when I acquire all the choice bits of property and the railroads.”

He picks up the dice, shakes them in his hand and tosses them onto the board. Shintarou watches the dice roll to a stop and then glances up. Akashi, smirking and looking energetic already, slides his car to his first square of property. Shintarou can feel his hopes start to sink. His battleship token hasn’t even sailed yet. 

***

An hour into the game, Akashi is the owner of both utilities and also Park Place and Boardwalk. He has put up several houses and a few hotels on his cheaper property. 

Shintarou slides his token to Boardwalk, pays yet another hefty fine, and tries not to feel glum. There are a few more places to be bought. At least he owns the railroads and both Get Out of Jail Free cards. He has one hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, so he is able to collect adequate amounts of money whenever Akashi lands there. And Akashi sometimes slides a socked foot up Shintarou’s thigh after Shintarou hands over a chunk of money, and that doesn’t feel too bad. Very nice actually.

After his cash dwindles down to 200, and Akashi’s toes edge too close to Shintarou’s crotch, Shintarou rethinks his decision to play the game. It really was a long week. He labored through an important exam just yesterday. He didn’t have time to say more than a quick “good morning” to Akashi earlier today, followed by a brief kiss, before he had to leave. They can resume the game tomorrow. Or start afresh. 

“No,” Akashi replies when Shintarou voices this suggestion. He slides his car to the Just Visiting edge of the Jail square and then takes a large sip of the hot chocolate Shintarou had to make for him two minutes ago. “Finish what you start.”

“That’s my line.” Shintarou adjusts his pants. “Move your feet.”

“Why?” Akashi smiles. “Can’t concentrate? Weakling.”

“That’s not the proper way to sit at a kotatsu.” Shintarou reaches underneath the table and shoves Akashi’s foot away from his lap. “Your turn. Roll.”

“You’re not sitting quite properly either, or are your knees supposed to be spread that far apart?” Akashi says as he crosses his legs. He rolls the dice again. 

When Shintarou is down to 150 and has had to mortgage a property, he says, “Akashi, I will trade you Vermont Avenue for Baltic Avenue.”

Akashi smiles. “No,” he replies. “You would build houses in that purple sector then. That would be bad for business.”

“How about Tennessee Avenue for States Avenue and 50 dollars?”

“This is why you are more suited for medical school than business. You don’t know how to negotiate. Shintarou, you mustn’t engage in any business deals without my help, alright?” Akashi picks up Shintarou’s mug and licks the melting whipped cream off the top.

“How about one railroad for a utility?” Shintarou keeps landing on those utilities and having to pay ridiculous amounts of money each time. “Please.”

“On hindsight, this is an excellent game, very educational.” Akashi hums a little before adding, “You’re so cute when you pout, Shintarou.” He rolls the dice, lands on a Community Chest square, picks up a card, and then turns pale.

“What?” Shintarou asks, hoping that the rules and his research were wrong and that there is actually a card that announces that the player has to forfeit immediately for being an asshole. Yes, that would be most welcome.

“Well, it appears that I have to go to jail for a bit,” Akashi says, showing him the card. 

Shintarou sees the Go Directly to Jail: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 written on the card, and starts laughing. 

Akashi, scowling, places the car on the Jail square. “This is actually a good place for me to stay,” he snaps. “You can visit my property while I stay here and collect the fines.”

“You don’t own all the property.” Shintarou moves his piece to the Free Parking square.

Akashi rolls the dice again, but going to jail is really the beginning of the end for him. He refuses at first to get out early through posting bail, but then he can’t roll doubles to get out and has to pay the fine after all. And once he does get out of jail, he keeps landing on Shintarou’s property and railroads. In the meantime, Shintarou gets richer and invests in more hotels.

The second time Akashi lands in jail, he doesn’t have enough money for bail without mortgaging his remaining un-mortgaged square. After failing to roll doubles for the second time, he says in an irritated tone, “Shintarou, trade me one of your Get Out of Jail Free cards for one of my utilities.”

“Hm.” Shintarou adjusts his glasses. “That would be bad for business.”

“Very funny. Do you actually think you can win this game? Business deals are my forte. I do this for a living, while you are simply play-acting.” 

Akashi is turning red now, while his eyes widen in that uncomfortable way that indicates he is going to become very unpleasant very soon. Shintarou sighs. Akashi is the only person willing to play games with Shintarou, but he is such a sore loser. It really aggravates Shintarou sometimes. Back when they had just moved into this apartment and gotten into a fight over Uno, he had decided that in order to reduce conflict in their relationship they should stick to doing other things for entertainment, like attending the opera and playing the occasional game of basketball. But after a week, he set up the shogi board and placidly accepted a crushing defeat.

Their games do dampen the mood a little because Shintarou can’t help feeling irritated after a loss. And, in the rare instances wherein Akashi almost loses, Akashi gets mad and starts up kitchen sink arguments, complaining about things like how he can’t find anything because Shintarou always reorganizes everything and how he caught a cold because Shintarou turns the heater down too low at night and how a man shouldn’t be reminded to carry an umbrella with him just because the forecast predicts rain “stop smothering me Shintarou.” 

But Shintarou needs the competition, needs to win from time to time. Shogi is a lost cause, and they have outgrown basketball. 

Shintarou says now, “Akashi, relax. This is just a game. You are not in jail, and you have much more than 14 dollars to your name, and I am not a property owner, and none of this is real.” 

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Fine, you want to trade? A card for what?”

“You are talking down to me. I don’t like your tone.” Akashi fingers his car. “Correct your behavior immediately, or I will not be playing with you any longer.”

Shintarou takes his mug from Akashi and drains the last of the now cold and grainy hot chocolate to fortify himself. Akashi watches him, face impassive. Shintarou thinks of how Akashi is in the morning, the faint pillow creases on the right cheek, loose-limbed and affectionate, murmuring “good morning” into the crook of Shintarou’s shoulder. The scent of his lotion migrating into Shintarou’s shirt, and Shintarou sniffing it on the commute to TouDai. Akashi’s texts throughout the day, mostly needless reminders but sometimes tidbits of things that interested or amused him, things that he wanted to share with Shintarou right away. Their dinner just before this game, Akashi feeding him carrots off of his plate. 

But Shintarou isn’t ready to throw this game. He has never lost on purpose in his twenty-one years, and he is not about to start now. And it’s not good for Akashi to always have his way.

Shintarou thinks about the list of rules lying in the box, thinks about the things people sometimes have to do to win, remembers the feeling of Akashi’s toes rubbing gently into his thigh, and then he says, “Here’s my deal. One Get Out of Jail Free card for a kiss.”

Akashi raises his eyebrows. “That’s all? Are you sure you don’t want anything more?”

“I want it to be a proper kiss, and I decide when to stop.”

Akashi smiles again, finally, says, “Sounds intriguing. Alright.”

Shintarou slides a card over the table. Akashi moves around the kotatsu, leans in.

Shintarou pulls Akashi onto his lap as he fits their mouths together. Akashi makes a small, surprised noise, and then he is reciprocating the kiss, mouth pliant, fingers gentle at first and then clenching in Shintarou’s hair. 

***

“You can have it,” Akashi murmurs, trailing kisses up Shintarou’s jawline. “I don’t care anymore. All of it.”

There is still a half hour until midnight. Shintarou says, “Roll one more time.”

“Shintarou, you’re such a …” Akashi sighs, turns halfway to pick up the dice. Shintarou pulls his left hand out of Akashi’s pants so that he can unbutton Akashi’s shirt. He presses an open-mouthed kiss to Akashi’s shoulder. 

Akashi moves his racecar to Pennsylvania Railroad, says, “Well, that’s that. Are you happy? I don’t have any money to pay you, and I can’t mortgage Boardwalk when I’m like this. Put your hand back there.”

“I’m the winner then?”

“Yes, what …. an accomplishment,” Akashi attempts to sound superior, but he is alternating between breathless and high-pitched, “winning a game … of chance. Enjoy your victory while it lasts.” He swallows, a loud, wet sound that makes Shintarou’s stomach clench in anticipation. “What’s yours is mine anyway.” 

The next time he loses at a game, Shintarou resolves, kissing Akashi’s flushed neck, he is going to use that line.


End file.
